During the week of Valentine’s Day, I honored the holiday in my yoga classes with a theme brimming full of love. It wasn’t girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other love; I was celebrating that full-on unabashed love we all need to give ourselves. This love shouldn’t just be commemorated on Valentine’s Day, but each and every day of the year. I’m talking about letting go of self-judgment, taking care of yourself physically, mentally, spiritually, and believing in yourself.
I found the perfect poem to convey a loving affirmation to my students and shared it with them when they were coming out of savasana. Well, I should say I shared it with some of my classes. Yeah, I have a little yoga teacher confession to make. During an evening class, I turned the lights down in the room so the students could settle into savasana, and the room was pretty darn dark. I sauntered over to the only light source, sans glasses, and started to read the poem. About three lines in, I realized I was screwed because my blurry eyesight was not registering the words. I fumbled through the poem, and luckily no one laughed.
My words of wisdom to all you yoga teachers out there are: Don’t be afraid to wear your glasses when reading materials in class, and go out and invest in a miniature flashlight that you can shine on your reading material when in a darkened room. And, one more bit of wisdom: Admit your mistakes to your students, and you will get a lot of love and compassion, not to mention a good laugh from them. I’ll just add this to my list of embarrassing yoga teaching moments and learn and grow from it.
But I digress, back to the poetry….
I’d like to share this poem with you. It comes from The Poetry of Yoga, an incredible anthology of yoga poems written by modern-day yoga poets. If you are yoga teacher seeking yoga poems to read in class, or are someone who wants to deepen their spiritual practice, please check out my recent review of The Poetry of Yoga for more details about how the collection was compiled and to order your very own copy.
One Love
By Jana Dvorska, from The Poetry of Yoga, Volume 1, Page 132
Come into the light
Hold each other’s hearts
Keep a tranquil mind
Full of hope and serenity
Believe anything is possible
Imagine yourself where you want to be
It will become reality
Limitless imagination will change the world
Set your intention and accomplish
Believe it and you will live it
Come together
Unite as one love
The universe is infinite unity
Universal is love
Be love
Feel love within your entire being
Let it radiate out into the world
Touch everyone you meet with your light and love
And if that poem was not totally yoga-loving-licious on its own, here’s a little musical accompaniment to bring the love full circle.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdB-8eLEW8g[/youtube]
Win a FREE copy of The Poetry of Yoga
The Daily Downward Dog has been given two copies of The Poetry of Yoga to give away. To enter for you chance to win one of the copies, leave a comment below to let me know how much you love the mash-up of poetry and yoga. I will randomly select one winner on Monday, March 5 and another on Monday, March 12 at noon EST from all of the comments left on the posts that include excerpts from the anthology.
If you are loving this poetry as much as I am, please consider purchasing a copy of the book, which is available at thepoetryofyoga.com, and help spread the word about this book to the yoga lovers in your life. For every book that is purchased, a donation is made to One Common Unity, so you get the gift of poetry and the warm fuzzies of helping others. You can also follow the creation of the second anthology on the website and on their Facebook page.
One Love Music
Love – it’s not just for Valentine’s Day.
Thinking of incorporating a love theme into an upcoming yoga class? Here are a few non lovey-dovey songs about loving yourself and others, which are perfect for any yoga class playlist.
“Give Love” – MC Yogi (you can download a free copy of this song at www.yogafriends.com)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpVUih5nY9g[/youtube]
“Could You Be Loved” – Bob Marley
“Put a Little Love in Your Heart” – There are many recordings of this song, but I used the collaboration from Al Greene and Annie Lennox that is available on iTunes.
“True Colors” – Cyndi Lauper
“Have a Little Faith” – Michael Franti & Spearhead
“Seeds of Love” – Tears for Fears
“Seasons of Love” – From the Rent Soundtrack
“All You Need is Love” – The Beatles
I’m sure there are a ton more, so if you feel so inclined, please share some love and your favorite love-themed songs in the comments below. I would LOVE to hear from you!
Join me for a week of Beach Yoga Bliss in Aruba April 11-18, 2015)….our mantra for the week is I AM LOVE!
Kirsty Nortonon March 2, 2012 at 4:02 AM
Thanks for this posting DDY, I did have to giggle when I read the bit about fumbling through the poem, we can set the mood perfectly and then suddenly get scuppered by that low lighting and struggling eyesight. The poem is beautiful though and I’ m sure you did it justice. I’d love to win a copy of that book to read out to my students whilst they’re in savasana, it sounds like the love they all need.
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Sharon Summerallon March 2, 2012 at 5:23 AM
Love your story about not being able to see after you turn lights down. That happened to me! Tha is for sharing. The poem is beautiful. Would love to win the book. If I don’t win will buy it. Namaste
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Julion March 2, 2012 at 6:00 AM
Maria!!! Sweet Info!
First of all, love, love the poem…just purchased a copy of the book…50% of proceeds go to spreading the word of love. I can’t wait to share with others. If I win a copy, I will have a beautiful gift to give to someone.
Second…love, love, love the MC yogi video. Can’t wait to share that song in a class. I could not find it on Itunes. Do you know where I can download it?
Thanks for sharing the love through DDD. You Rock.
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Maria @dailydownwarddogon March 2, 2012 at 8:12 AM
Juli:
You can download “Give Love” for free at http://www.yogafriends.com.Thanks for stopping by The Daily Downward Dog!
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Dee Eisneron March 2, 2012 at 10:32 AM
I used the theme of Feb being heart health month with some extra love during valentine’s week. We did lots of heart openers and partner poses and a good time was had by all. Especially me! Our playlist for the month was full of “silly” love songs like Stupid Cupid and That’s Amore. It was hard to hold the poses when you felt compelled to move with the music. So, move we did.
Also felt a personal need to add a Whitney Houston song to the playlist for Feb. How did I miss EXHALE? I think it will always be playing in my class during our breath practice – perfect!
Ideas for March, anyone?
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Maria @dailydownwarddogon March 5, 2012 at 1:48 PM
Hey Dee – that class sounds awesome! I must get up to one of your classes soon. For the month of March I’m going to hop into a little chakra discovery.
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Maria @dailydownwarddogon March 5, 2012 at 1:25 PM
Woo Hoo Marge is the lucky winner of The Poetry of Yoga (she entered on the February 27 blog titled The Poetry of Yoga)!
I’ll keep all the remaining entries in the hat and continue to collect entries through this week. Another lucky winner will be selected next Monday, March 12th.
Thanks for all the lovely comments and for stopping by The Daily Downward Dog!
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Maria Bon March 5, 2012 at 3:49 PM
Thank you very much for sharing this poem. It is endearing. I am going to print it out and keep it with me. I think it will be great to constantly be reminded of the importance of peace and serenity.
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Maria @dailydownwarddogon March 12, 2012 at 12:36 PM
Congrats to Denise the second winner of The Poetry of Yoga. Denise entered on The Poetry of Yoga blog post.
Thanks again to everyone who entered to win and remember you can purchase your very own copy at http://www.thepoetryofyoga.com. Not only will you get an awesome book of yoga poetry, but you will also be making a donation to support One Common Unity!
Thanks again to HawaH for creating such a lovely anthology and for making them available to DDD readers!
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Ryan Joneson March 13, 2012 at 4:55 PM
What a pleasant reminder of the One Love. This one I can carry with me throughout the year. Thanks for sharing. Namaste & ONE LOVE!
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Angela@veggievinyasaon July 30, 2012 at 7:33 PM
Awwww, such a sweet poem. This weekend I am teaching yoga for a friend on her wedding day. It will be her and her bridesmaids. I was looking around on the internet for ideas and I like the theme of universal love. This poem is perfect. Of course I’ll have to play some Bob Marley during the class. Nothing better to relax a bride.
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Maria @dailydownwarddogon July 31, 2012 at 10:42 PM
Angela – so glad this poem inspired you! I’m sure your wedding day class will be beautiful!!
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Helenon February 18, 2013 at 9:53 AM
I love reading Daily Downward Dog…your site is so down to earth and I feel so inspired!! I love the way you intergrate Yoga into everyday life ..it just makes so much sense and encourages me to keep spreading my love of Yoga to all! I like the modern day concept!!
I too giggled at the glasses and the darkness and I have encountered the same!! There are reading glasses with little side lights..I have not purchased them yet~ it’s my ego in the way~ but I might . I often like to begin and end class with a reading to bring us full circle and a few times the lights were too dim,or the glasses slipped away under the mat or my papers and books ….need I say more!??!?
Bob Marley was a true Yogi for sure… and I am definitely going to continue my theme of LOVE this week by reading this poem..
Thanks for offering such a great resource to all of us!!
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Maria @dailydownwarddogon February 19, 2013 at 8:00 AM
Hi Helen:
Thanks for sharing your story – glad to hear that I’m not the only one that has happened to!
And Thanks for stopping by The Daily Downward Dog – I appreciate your kind words!!Reply
Love Poems for Himon November 22, 2015 at 4:03 AM
Awesome post.
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meridith abramson January 10, 2017 at 1:43 PM
thank you so much! I am hosting a heart opening workshop for valentines day. i am going to share the poem! thank you!!
with love,
MeridithReply
Cheryl Paulsonon February 11, 2017 at 11:11 AM
When people step on the mat, I think they are both surprised and humbled to reconnect with themselves so intimately. Whether they were drawn to yoga for its physical benefits or to de-stress, like an archaeologist,they start chiseling away at all the stuff that has been covering up their true nature. It’s like coming home when you didn’t even know you were lost. That in itself re-sparks creativity and inspiration, and that’s how poetry fits so beautifully with yoga. So many times students comment that a passage of poetry was just what they needed to hear. Would it have resonated the same way without yoga? I think not. Yoga opens the door for poetry to come through. And it does for each individual in very personal and intimate ways. Poetry nourishes the heart that has been opened through the practice of yoga. A rare and beautiful gift indeed.
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Maria @dailydownwarddogon February 13, 2017 at 8:51 AM
Cheryl – thank you for that beautiful response! Are you a poetry writer?
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cathy Ainsworthon February 8, 2019 at 1:21 PM
love these ideas and I love to use beautiful language in my yoga class – Thanks
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